Maggie Trazin, Cash's friend of four years, recalled the difficulty Cash faced over the last year as she applied for the Peace Corps. There were fingerprints taken for legal reasons and extensive medical examinations required. Cash even had to have her wisdom teeth removed before she could go. ``It was kind of a roller coaster application process,'' Trazin said. ``She took it like a soldier. It was easy for me to be there for her.'' Cash found out she would be going to Morocco about a month ago. She said she feels drawn to the area but is apprehensive of adjusting to the mostly Arab country. ``The only thing that makes me nervous is not so much being an American, but being a woman,'' Cash said. ``I'm going to do my best to protect myself by dressing conservative.'' She'll join dozens of other volunteers in an area just north of Rabat, Morocco, for initial training, which will end in early November. During that time, Torres said, Peace Corps members will stay with a host family. ``That's what really sets them up for success,'' she said. ``That is where they are trained on the local customs, especially for women in what they need to be aware of to keep themselves safe and secure.''

When the Jackson resident graduated from Michigan State University last spring, settling on a career and marriage were the furthest things from her mind.

To achieve the sort of life she'd hoped for, Cash joined the Peace Corps. She left Tuesday for training and is headed to Morocco for the next two years.

``I just decided to do something different with my life and lead a life that's, I guess, out of the ordinary,'' said Cash, 23. ``I just wanted to feel OK about going off the beaten path.''

Having never traveled abroad, she said she's thrilled about the opportunity to have a culturally fulfilling experience while working in youth development in the north African country.

Cash said many of the skills she'll utilize in the Peace Corps came from tutoring and teaching English at a refugee resource center in Lansing -- something she started doing in January 2008.

``You have to use a lot of pictures and a lot of emotions,'' Cash said. ``I really feel there are universal signals that everybody can understand. I think those will be effective strategies in Morocco.''

Christine Torres, public affairs specialist for the regional Peace Corps office in Chicago, said evaluating applicants' skills and background takes time in order to place them with an appropriate Peace Corps program.

The logistics in applying could take anywhere from six to 12 months, she said.

``Someone who is accepted into the Peace Corps does have to have a certain degree of education and skills,'' Torres said. ``In addition, there needs to be a certain motivation level to want to help others and be open-minded about new cultures.''

Maggie Trazin, Cash's friend of four years, recalled the difficulty Cash faced over the last year as she applied for the Peace Corps.

There were fingerprints taken for legal reasons and extensive medical examinations required. Cash even had to have her wisdom teeth removed before she could go.

``It was kind of a roller coaster application process,'' Trazin said. ``She took it like a soldier. It was easy for me to be there for her.''

Cash found out she would be going to Morocco about a month ago. She said she feels drawn to the area but is apprehensive of adjusting to the mostly Arab country.

``The only thing that makes me nervous is not so much being an American, but being a woman,'' Cash said. ``I'm going to do my best to protect myself by dressing conservative.''

She'll join dozens of other volunteers in an area just north of Rabat, Morocco, for initial training, which will end in early November.

During that time, Torres said, Peace Corps members will stay with a host family.

``That's what really sets them up for success,'' she said. ``That is where they are trained on the local customs, especially for women in what they need to be aware of to keep themselves safe and secure.''

Cash will join about 345 other volunteers from Michigan currently serving in the Peace Corps, Torres said, and about 6,260 Michiganians who have served since the agency was established in 1961.

Cash said she doesn't expect to come back too changed from the experience because of the efforts she made to branch out in college.

``What I'm hoping to get most out of this, among many other things, is more reliance on myself and more self-confidence,'' she said.

Memo to Incoming Director WilliamsPCOL has asked five prominent RPCVs and Staff to write a memo on the most important issues facing the Peace Corps today. Issues raised include the independence of the Peace Corps, political appointments at the agency, revitalizing the five-year rule, lowering the ET rate, empowering volunteers, removing financial barriers to service, increasing the agency's budget, reducing costs, and making the Peace Corps bureaucracy more efficient and responsive. Latest: Greetings from Director Williams

Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL InterviewPeace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez.

Read the stories and leave your comments.

Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: The Jackson City Patriot

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Morocco

PCOL4493440

Add a Message

This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.